Wire-fence machine



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No' Model.)

, A. 0. BETTS.

WIRE FENCE MACHINE.

No. 410,263. Patented Sept. 3. 1889- N PETERS. PhMoLithbgnphan Wilhingiun. EC-

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

A. 0. B-ETTS. WIRE FENCE MACHINE.

No. 410,263. Patent'edVSept. 3, 1889.

UNITED STATES v PATENT OFFICEt ALBERT O. BETTS, OF BRUNSTVIOK, NEV YORK.

WIRE-FENCEMACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 410,263, dated September 3, 1889.

Application filed March 27, 1889.

Serial No. 304,990. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT C. BETTS, a resident of the town of Brunswick,in the county of Rensselaer and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in VVire-Fence Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, that will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in the several figures therein.

My invention relates to improvements in wire-fence machines; and it consists of the novel. construction and combination of parts,

' hereinafter described, and-pointed. out in the claims,

Figure 1 of the drawings is a view in side elevation of my improved machine, showing a fence in the diiferent stages of manufacture. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 1, except that the supply-coils of wire are broken away and the treadle and treadleactuated parts are shown in a different position. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of a side portion of the machine, taken on the broken line 0; a: in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a similar section taken on the broken line 11 3 in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal section of one of the frictional feed-guides for feeding and guiding the wires from supply-coils to the machine.

My improved machine is adapted to make that form of fence which consists of a series of vertical wood slats or pickets connected with each other by a plurality of parallel horizontal wires severally secured to the individual pickets by means of a staple straddling the wire and driven into the picket. The frame is composed of two stringers or beams A, resting upon the cross-beams A, supported by the uprights or legs The stringers are substantially parallel with each other, occupying the same horizontal plane, and located at the proper distance apart to support the ends of the pickets B, as shown in Fig. 2. The stringers are each provided with a blacket-arm A adapted to support the cross-rod A which rod supports a guide B for the wires B These guides serve to feed the strands of wire from spools B to the pickets. The spools have an axle 13*, the ends of which have abearing in an open-ended slot B in a bearing-block B. The bearing-slot has its open end a little wider than the diameter of the axle and its closed end contracted to a width a little less than the diameter of the axle, so that the axle is pinched by the walls of the inwardly-contracted open-ended slot in proportion to the weight of the coil. As the weight of the coil diminishes in proportion as its diameter diminishes, and consequently as the leverage of the wire being unwound therefrom diminishes, the friction of the axle upon the slot-walls acts as a constant brake upon the spools and prevents the wire from uncoiling too rapidly. As a further brake upon the wires to keep them taut on their way to the pickets, I make the guides B of a novel form. They are provided with the ears B perforated to receive the rod A and have in the body partthe inclined ways B and B", as shown in Fig. 5. These ways may be open at their point of junction at the longitudinal center of the guide and closed at their other ends, as at 13 and B. It will be seen that the wire is caused to bind upon the inclosing-walls of the angular track thus formed and its progress retarded by the frictional contact therewith. The position of the guides may be adj ust-ably fixed bymeans of the washers 13 movable longitudinally upon the cross-rod, being tapped and provided with an adjusting-screw B adapted to be set upon the cross-rod. The washer may have a channel B in its lower side to receive the wire when desired.

As a means for securing the pickets upon the wires in a position such that they shall be equidistant and parallel with each other, I provide the guide-stops C, pivoted upon the frame-stringers or upon slats C, secured to the frame, as upon the'pivots (3*. Any desired number of pivotsmay he provided and the stops .located thereon at such distances apart as may be desired for the spaces between the pickets, and connected at their lower ends by a movable slat O to which they are pivoted at 0 Two stops on each stringer would serve to approximately guide and hold the pickets in place; but I prefer a greater number, as shown, as greater accuracy may 10 to trip the detent-lever.

I 5 porting legs.

5 rod A.

be obtained. The stops are held up to the position shown by the solid lines in Fig. 1 by .means of the detent-lever C pivoted at upon a bracket 0 screwed to the main frame,

the head of which lever engages with the end of the slat C to hold it in position. The tripping-lever O pivoted upon the bracket O at C is so located that its lower arm 0 is acted upon by the cam D, while its upper arm acts The cam is fixed upon the shaft D. The shaft is also provided with a pulley D fixed thereon, having an actuating-chain I) and treadle D The treadle is pivoted at D upon one of the frame-sup- The shaft D is also provided with two sweep arms or levers D having the circular spring-connection D and with a torsion coil-spring D one end of which spring is secured to the bracket C and the other end to the supporting-sleeve D", which sleeve is fixed upon the shaft.

F is a large spool on which the completed fence is wound and drawn from the machine.

The spool is provided with a toothed rim F, and is rotated by means of a lever F ful- 0 as many spools B ranged in front of the machine, passed severally through the guides B over the machine-frame, and secured to the winding-spool F, the guides B being adjusted at the desired distance apart on the cross A picket is then placed across the frame in the position shown at P in Fig. 1 against the abutments or stops P. The treadle is then operated to force the arms D from the position shown by solid lines to that shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, which carries the picket against the first set of stops 0 to the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1 and by solid lines in Fig. 2. The staples S are then inserted by a hammer or other known 5 means, by which the several wires are secured to the picket. The treadle is then released and the torsionespring D turns the shaft D backward and throws the arms D forward to the position shown by solid lines and the treadle up to the position shown in Fig. 1. The cam D, which was forced by the treadle to a position back of lever-arm 0 (shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1,) is also forced back to the position shown by the solid lines, striking the arm 0 and forcing the levers O and to the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, which releases the slat C The wires and pickets secured thereto are then drawn backward along the machine-frame by means of the handle F and winding-spool F, or by any suitable power, as by the hand of the operatorapplied directly to the pickets, forcing the slat C and the stops 0 to the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1. As soon as the pickets pass the stops 0 they and the slat G are restored to the position shown bythe solid lines by the spring S and the detent C forced to the position shown by solid lines by the spring S, fixed upon the stationary pivot O and bearing down upon the pin a in the detent. The detent thus engaging the slat C holds the stops firmly in position, and when the pickets forming part of the completed fence are drawn against them their further movement is arrested until another picket is attached in the same manner andthe detent again tripped, as before, in which manner the process is continued, as desired.

It is obvious that any desired number of wires may be employed. I have shown three wires and a short middle picket-support P What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a wire-fence machine, the combination, with a supporting-frame, of picket-stops C, pivotally secured upon opposite sides of such frame, spring-controlled stop-connectin g slats C spring-controlled detent-lever O trippinglever C and treadle-actuated tripping-cam, substantially as described.

2. In a Wire-fence machine, a tension device consisting of a guide-block having in its body part oppositely-inclined ways B and B for the wire, open at their point of junction near the center of the block, and closed at the ends 13 and B of the block, one end B being provided with the transversely-perforated supporting-ears B substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 25th day of.v March, 1889.

ALBERT C. BETTS.

\Vitnesscsz' Gno. A. MosHER, W. H. HOLLISTER, Jr. 

